Friday, 2 February 2018
Hot Lips and Cold War, London Theatre Workshop | Review
Hot Lips and Cold War
London Theatre Workshop
Reviewed on Thursday 1st February 2018 by Nicola Louise
★★★★★
"Hot Lips and Cold War explores cultural, sexual, political relationships and the nature of the glue that holds everything together – trust." – Lizzie Freeborn
Set during JFK administration, this new musical by Lizzie Freeborn set in the Whitehouse, looks at the staff in house at the time of the sexual scandal set by JFK himself and Ms Marilyn Monroe.
The main focus of this show, however, is a young Irish girl Maria, played by Sylvie Briggs, a photographer who wants out of Ireland to start a new life. Briggs really shows the sweetness and naivety of Maria throughout the show, especially when her love, Davy (Adam Small) a young American, PA to the president’s secretary is around. Maria is in love with Davy but it’s one-sided.
Small is great at showing Davy in a light that makes the audience both feel sympathy and hate towards the character.
Within the Whitehouse, we meet Mrs Kennedy’s maid Grace, and her son, Marvin played by Florence Odumosu and Jamal Franklin. The pair worked off each other well and you believed the love between them as a family. When Franklin sang his first song with Maria, he did come off a bit camp which almost ruined his character development, but, unlike most small theatre shows I’ve seen, he managed to redeem himself pretty quick and you could see and believe that he was slowly falling in love with Maria.
The Kennedy’s were perfect, Marcia Sommerford really made the first lady her own and you could see the worry and betrayal in her eyes from her husband’s affair, and the hatred she had for Marilyn Monroe played by Freya Tilly, who was the reincarnation of Ms Monroe herself.
JFK, played by Robert Oliver had stage presence as the President and really brought to life the worries and concerns the man had that his affairs would get out and ruin everything he worked so hard for.
With such a small company, I need to mention Lewis Rae, the President’s secretary and Ashley Knight who played Jerome Kingsley, a rich Southerner who was both a racist and a bigot. I enjoyed Knight’s performance- he played it just right. With Englishmen playing Rich Southerner’s there’s always the danger of overplaying, but this wasn’t the case. His song ‘You’ll hear the South Roar’ was one of my favourites.
Hot Lips and Cold War plays at the London Theatre Workshop until February 24th.
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Eugenius, The Other Palace | Review
Eugenius
The Other Palace
Reviewed on Tuesday 30th January 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
I saw and loved Eugenius back in 2016 at it's premiere concert at the London Palladium, so I was very excited when I read it was returning to The Other Palace. I'm pleased to say I stand by my initial review- I absolutely adored this, unique, hilarious, feel-good show.
Eugenius tells the story of Eugene, a G-E-E-K who has written a comic book and gets thrown into a crazy Hollywood, space story. Alongside we have Janey who is head over heels in love with him and does everything she can to impress him but has been placed firmly into the friend zone.
With music and lyrics and a book by Ben Adams and Chris Wilkins, Eugenius is a full on cheese fest of all things brilliant about the 80s. I'm 21 so wasn't alive then but it's so iconic that I couldn't help but feel nostalgic in a weird way. The music is catchy, the dialogue is laugh a minute and the whole show is just a big, joyous delight.
The cast are absolutely outstanding. As Eugene we have West End newbie Liam Forde, who is geeky and charming with a beautiful voice. His chemistry with everyone is great but especially with the delightful love interest Laura Baldwin as Janey. Laura's voice is something else, 'The Future is Bright' is definitely a stand out moment. Equally witty and loving, Laura is perfectly cast in the role.
As the best friend, Dan Buckley is hilarious as Feris. Despite being a comic role, Daniel's vocals shine and he is wonderful throughout. Equally comic is Scott Paige as Theo who is sassy and vocally outstanding. As the mean man, Cameron Blakely is perfectly despicable as Lex. His demeanour and crude actions make you pray for his demise. Ian Hughes is striking as the other, spacey villain, Evil Lord Hector.
This show creates an infectious atmosphere and has everyone bouncing and humming the songs as they leave the theatre. In my initial review I said that "this musical is bound to become a cult classic and pave the way for a whole wave of new musicals" and I think that still sums up my feelings. Eugenius is a unique, humourous celebration of being yourself and embracing your inner geek. With catchy music and a stellar cast, there's not a reason you shouldn't see this show!
Eugenius runs at The Other Palace until 3rd March
photo credit: Pamela Raith
Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Collective Rage, Southwark Playhouse | Review
Collective Rage
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed on Monday 29th January 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
In it's UK premiere by Antic Face, Collective Rage at the Southwark Playhouse is a surprising and alluring show which sees five New York women named Betty, join forces to discover themselves and put on a play within a play.
Whilst Jen Silverman's play is first and foremost about sexuality and finding your voice, it also looks at New York life through a series of dinner parties, "thea-tah" and relationships. These aspects all come together to create one exciting and unique piece of work.
The cast are equally outstanding and do perfect justice to the brilliant script. As Betty One, the rich upper East Side housewife who is constantly annoyed, Sara Stewart is comedic and likeable from beginning to end. Genesis Lynea as the gender fluid boxing coach, Betty Five who captures Betty One's attention is smooth and sleek every moment she's on stage. Her interactions with every cast member are natural and well thought out.
Lucy McCormick is outstanding as Betty Two, showing a well developed character arc as she goes from the quiet, lonely girl, to a more empowered but equally struggling woman by the end. Her breakdown was particularly haunting.
Taking on the role of the brassy, red clothed Latina, Betty Three, Beatriz Romily is perfect. Having discovered the joys of the "thea-tah" on a date with a rich married woman, she is desperate to put on a show and have everyone know her, however she discovers that this may not be the answer to all her problems. Johnnie Fiori is endearing but strong as the truck loving Betty Four who struggles with being in love with her best friend.
Anna Reid's simple set works perfectly for this play as the blackbox space becomes the world of the Betties. Hollie Buhagiar's sound effects work equally well, providing us with a little insight into what's to come in the upcoming scene.
The show is extremely funny and almost caricature-like at times but there are moments of pure poinancy which really bring it back down to earth. Everything about Collective Rage is unapologetic and the whole thing is gloriously feminist and queer. For a laugh a minute show that also makes you think, Collective Rage is the one for you.
photo credit: Jack Sain
The Play That Goes Wrong (UK Tour), Storyhouse | Review
The Play That Goes Wrong (UK Tour)
Storyhouse
Reviewed on Monday 29th January 2018 by Becca Cromwell
★★★★★
The Mischief Theatre company, founded in 2008, is well known for providing family entertainment and great comedy and they certainly didn't disappoint with the UK Tour of the West End hit, The Play That Goes Wrong. This is not the first time their shows have been on tour, with Peter Pan Goes Wrong being a massive hit in 2014. I went in with high expectations.
Before the house lights went down, members of the cast were walking around the auditorium asking the unsuspecting audience members whether they had seen a dog. Causing mischief before the show even started. They asked an audience member to help them fix the mantlepiece on the stage, which in due course turned to chaos.
As the lights dim, we are introduced to Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who are putting on a performance of Murder at Haversham Manor... The society is famed for its bad productions! They begin the first act of their play, and it all goes downhill from there and side-splitting hilarity ensued.
With very few cast members, I was surprised at how well put together the whole show was. The stunts and physical work especially were extremely impressive from all cast members.
Kazeem Tosin Amore played Robert (Thomas Colleymoore) and gave an impressive performance. His gravity-defying stunts in the study were envious!
Bobby Hirston as Max (Cecil/Gardener) was incredibly funny, with his performance gaining laughs more or less every minute he was onstage.
Jake Curran brought the Director/Inspector to life with great vigour. With great physical work and hilariously over the top acting as the Inspector it was certainly a memorable performance!
Catherine Dryden played techie turned star Annie, who saves the show in its moment of need and was hilarious in doing so. Definitely a standout of the show.
Steven Rostance gave a hilarious performance as the 'murdered' Charles Haversham, who gained large applause when he finally did get the right scene.
Elena Valentine played Sandra (Florence Colleymoore), and gave an exciting performance, particularly towards the end in the 'two Florences' scene.
A special mention must go to Gabriel Paul, who played Trevor, the Duran Duran loving sound technican. Hilarity ensued every time Gabriel entered the stage.
Benjamin McMahon portrayed Dennis (Perkins) well, using superb and memorable facial expressions throughout.
Fair to say I enjoyed the show. The rest of the audience loved it too, with many leaving with tears of laughter still rolling down their cheeks.
The use of set was fantastic. Everything was so well organised and well timed that pieces repeatedly falling down should not have been as funny the second or third time round, but were! Pieces of set collapsing, blowing up and coming off are not easy to time right on top of saying lines and remembering to act, so the tech team and stage hands and directors need their very own round of applause for this alone.
The cast took their bows to extremely well deserved rapturous applause. Bravo to them all!
The Play That Goes Wrong is on a major UK tour until October, so grab your tickets while you can!
Photo Credit: Robert Day
Friday, 26 January 2018
Oranges and Elephants, Hoxton Hall | Review
Oranges and Elephants
Hoxton Hall
Reviewed on Thursday 25th January 2017 by Nicola Louise
★★
Originally conceived in 2013 by Lil Warren, Oranges and Elephants tells the story of two female gangs in London in the Victorian Era. The 'Oranges', a girl gang in Brixton led by their boss, Flo played by Kate Adams, and the ‘Elephants’, an Irish girl gang bonded by the family code, based in Elephant and Castle’s Woolworth road.
Being shown in Hoxton Hall, London, the place brings some authenticity to the musical. The old music hall creates a great backdrop for the narrator, the Chair played by Susannah van den Berg and her piano player Doreen, played by one of the co-founders of the inclusive theatre pioneers of Chickenshed, Jo Collins.
Van den Berg had great energy and as soon as the show started she had the crowd laughing with her large personality, she had great chemistry with Collins and their witty banter was none stop.
The girls in the gang all played instruments and they were used throughout the show, the girls were either in the wings or on stage playing the violin, cello … there was even a flute involved, they used this very well and allowed the cast to be a part of the orchestra as well as the show.
As the show went on I thought Ada, second in command of the Oranges played by Rebecca Bainbridge tried a little to hard to bring her character to life. Ada is a psychopath and although that came across very well in Bainbridge’s performance, it became a bit uneasy to watch her bring manly ways to her character. Ada is still female, but every move Bainbridge took, I couldn’t figure out if Ada was meant to be in a girl gang or wanted to be apart of the male gangs that ran Soho and Piccadilly.
My other issue with the Oranges was their leader, Flo. Now Flo was mentioned in the show as the ‘worst female in London’, she was scary, people were frightened of her, unfortunately, Adams was neither. I wasn’t convinced of her leadership within the gang, she looked too soft and the delivery of her lines didn’t make me feel anything towards her.
The Elephants, led by Annie (Liz Kitchen) with second in command, Nellie (Christina Tedders) were great. Tedders was full of energy and made the role her own and diverse; playing the thief but also the lost little girl who just wanted to sing.
When Nellie meets Mary, a young girl from the black country played by Sinead Long who had been captured by the Oranges, you start to feel sorry for both girls, they want to sing in music halls but have somehow been caught up in a life of crime.
Both girls performances were very strong, Long, was very convincing as a scared girl, on her own for the first time in London.
This musical isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I can see why people enjoy it, there also an extra added bonus of the sing along, everyone got song sheets and Van der Berg got the audience singing with no hesitation.
Oranges and Elephants runs at Hoxton Hall until February 10th 2018
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Sunset Boulevard (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Sunset Boulevard (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 22nd January 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
The recent trend in my life seems to be watching things about the golden age of Hollywood and actresses who can't face the loss of fame. If you watched Ryan Murphy's recent television series, Feud, you'll notice the strong similarities between the life of fictional Norma Desmond and film royalty Joan Crawford. Both women were stars of the silent film era and the embodiment of Hollywood glamour, however as they grew older and their fame and fans disappear, they fall into a draining game of always trying to appear young and live as though their glory days aren't over.
In Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of Billy Wilder's 1951 film, Sunset Boulevard, we meet a reclusive Norma who's in a dark phase of her life as she's trying to get back into the film world. Enter Joe Gillis the struggling screenwriter desperate to get his lucky break who somehow ends up in Norma's sprawling mansion.
Dreaming of making her comeback, Norma recruits Joe to edit and finish her screenplay. However, their relationship slowly spirals into it's own film of drama and tension as Norma becomes obsessive and possessive over Joe- threatening suicide if he leaves.
Dreaming of making her comeback, Norma recruits Joe to edit and finish her screenplay. However, their relationship slowly spirals into it's own film of drama and tension as Norma becomes obsessive and possessive over Joe- threatening suicide if he leaves.
The staging is slick and perfectly evocative of the 40s/50s, helped hugely by Douglas O'Connell's spectacular video and projections which not only add to each scene and song but make the whole thing cinematic and help to blur the line between reality and film which Norma struggles to deal with.
The show, like it's characters, is full of melodrama and power. Ria Jones takes on the role of the narcissistic, fading Norma Desmond with masterful skill. Her performance is truly remarkable and she embodies the role with every fibre of her being. Commanding the stage and audience with her every word and whacking Andrew Lloyd Webber's huge numbers out of the park. Jones puts in everything the has to earn her extensive standing ovation at the end.
As the handsome, aspiring screenwriter Joe, Dougie Carter is outstanding and versatile. From fairly innocent at the start to dark and tortured. He is absolutely faultless, with his rendition of Sunset Boulevard gripping the audience at the start of Act 2 along with is sharp, engaging chemistry with Ria Jones.
Special mention must go to Adam Pearce who deftly plays the Phantom-esque role of Max Von Myerling and superbly balances his endearing and chilling sides whilst delivering some top class vocals that almost steal the show.
This production is a musical theatre masterclass that perfectly charts a story of obsession, drama, age and lust. It's a must see for any musical theatre fan, with Ria Jones' performance worth the ticket price alone.
Sunset Boulevard runs at the New Victoria theatre until January 27th before continuing it's tour.
Saturday, 13 January 2018
Strangers in Between, Trafalgar Studios | Review
Strangers in Between
Trafalgar Studios
Reviewed on Friday 12th January 2018 by Shaun Dicks
★★★★★
As a member of the LGBT community we all face our fair share of struggles. One of those struggles is the loss of family, whether its you leaving them or they sever ties with you. Strangers in Between tackles the subject of creating your own family with wit, humour and wonderful storytelling. It’s the story of Shane, a 16-year-old boy who runs away from his home and family in suburban Australia to Kings Cross, Sydney. The story follows Shane as he tries to navigate these new surroundings and new friends whilst carrying old baggage.
The story and message is a very relatable one; one that is very well crafted by Tommy Murphy. Murphy’s crafting of the story and characters is genius, the script is witty and humorous without even trying. The writing is outstanding, modern scriptwriters please take note. The direction from Adam Spreadbury-Maher is masterful, the show being slick, punchy without being over bearing.
Now we come to the cast. No words can be used to describe how outstanding the all-male cast of three are. You can tell that the relationship between them is strong. They are comfortable with each other and they have an undeniable chemistry. Roly Botha as Shane was truly endearing, creating a gem of a character. Dan Hunter as Will/Ben was charming as Will but complex as Ben. Hunter’s ability to change between roles was brilliant. The best I’ve saved until last, Stephen Connery-Brown as haggard old queen with a heart, Peter was simply perfection. Peter was witty, humorous, serious, kind and loving; the complete character. Connery-Brown isn’t just talented, he is an actor young performers should look up to. He gives a masterclass on how theatre should be done. These men took this script, ran with it and then some.
As a gay man myself, I relate to this story. It didn’t make me feel just for a second but a very long while. It made me emotional and think for hours after the show. That is a signifier that it is excellent theatre. The Kings Head Theatre is renowned for producing brilliant LGBT theatre, Strangers In Between falls into that bracket and is more than deserving of its West End transfer to Trafalgar Studios. Everyone needs to see this show. Support the wonderful Kings Head Theatre, support Strangers In Between. It deserves to be seen. It deserves to be recognised. It is the best thing you will see.
Tell your friends, family and work colleagues. Everyone needs to see Strangers In Between!
Strangers in Between runs at the Trafalgar Studios until 3rd February 2018
photo credit: Scott Rylander
Thursday, 11 January 2018
Lobster, Theatre 503 | Review
Lobster
Theatre 503
Reviewed on Wednesday 10th January 2018 by Shaun Dicks
★★★
Theatre 503 is renowned for new writing. Its reputation precedes itself for creating fresh, innovative and thought-provoking work. Tonight, their offering was Lobster, not the food, but the new play by Lucy Foster. The thing with new work, especially previously untested work, is that it can be very hit or miss. Lobster is like an edge to first slip, it was neither a hit or a miss.
Lobster is the story of J and K, two young professional women in London. We follow them throughout this story as they narrate through their relationship history. J (Alexandra Reynolds) is the loveable geek who is almost unbelievably nice. Reynolds did a decent job playing J but it felt like it all fell on one note with her. It didn’t feel like a completely realised character and needs more work to really capture who J is as a character. Overall she felt quite bland. However, K (Louise Beresford) felt like a slightly more well-rounded character. Despite the character being very stiff, there is a dry humour about her that as an audience member you can’t help but laugh. K is a more well-rounded character because of her inability to let herself be happy, she is her own saboteur.
The story itself is a good one, it is one that needs to be told. In the modern age of technology, dating and relationships have become so much harder. It’s a minefield. But the script itself, though humorous, needs work. It needs tightening up in certain places and would benefit from a workshop or two and a fresh set of eyes. The direction from Kayla Feldman is standard but needs to be developed and worked further so that it can become special.
This show has the potential to be something special, the story is there, but there are certain aspects that need tightening or a metaphorical jolt in the arm. There is too heavy a reliance on modern culture for humour to land, the characters need development and the overall presentation of the piece needs work. If the show is to go any further, changes need to be made. The show as it is now is ok but it deserves to be better.
Lobster runs at Theatre 503 until January 20th 2018
photo credit: Ali Wright
Saturday, 6 January 2018
Hanna, Arcola Theatre | Review
Hanna
Arcola Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 5th January 2018 by Shaun Dicks
★★★★
‘If I could go back in time, would I make it not happen? And I always shrug and give the same answer: Ah – Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda.’
These are the musings of Hanna, a young single mother, her life has been turned upside down. She has been told that her daughter isn’t her daughter. This is a story that tackles the idea of family. In this modern day the term ‘family’ is broader than it ever has been before. This story takes on the idea of, if you raise a child all their life but they truly aren’t your biological child, does that still make them family?
Hanna written by Sam Potter is a true modern text; its witty, dramatic, humorous and surprising. The script is well written, it intertwines the humour of the young millennial single mother, with the drama of the situation and ends in a surprising way. The direction by George Turvey is simple but effective, the staging is very minimal and leans towards more Stanislavski and his methods but the way the text is carried is very Brechtian in regard to its use of audience interaction.
Sophie Khan Levy as Hanna was humorous and endearing. She was able to create a very well rounded and thought out character in her interpretation of Hanna. She portrayed an immature maturity flawlessly; Hanna was a fully realised woman, there were no flaws in her character work. The text, despite a few stumbles, was very well paced. Levy makes you feel for Hanna, she creates an empathy for Hanna and makes the audience want to follow her story. She takes you all the way to the peak of the rollercoaster before letting you drop.
This show is raw, unrelenting and honest. Its a show that you should see. It tackles red hot issues that affect people on a regular basis and very much needs discussing more. Catch Hanna if you can, you’ll be better off for seeing it.
Hanna runs at the Arcola theatre until January 20th 2018
photo credit: Robert Workman
Friday, 5 January 2018
Bananaman The Musical, Southwark Playhouse | Review
Bananaman The Musical
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed on Thursday 8th January 2018 by Nicola Louise
★★★
Since his first appearance in 1980 Bananaman has become somewhat of a cult classic and it’s not hard to see why. A relatively geeky young kid eats a banana and he turns into a superhero known as Bananaman, a super strong, super fast, spandex dressed muscle man with not many brain cells.
With the book, music and lyrics by Leon Parris and directed by Mark Perry, the legend of Bananaman comes alive in this comic musical. From the moment you walk into the theatre you’re transported into the world of comics: Acacia Road, Beano Town where Eric Wimp and his mother live.
The show opens with the bad guys; Dr Bloom played by Mark Pickering and General Blight played by Carl Mullaney, both of whom worked well together and it felt like they had walked straight out of a comic strip into the real world; bouncing off each other perfectly. Pickering is considerably smaller then Mullaney which just adds to their evil comedy duo.
Eric Wimp is the boy who can turn into Bananaman himself, but as his original self, he’s a small skinny boy who has trouble saying hi to the girl he likes. With a cast full of adults playing 15-year-olds you’re always worried how well it’s going to turn out, are you going to believe it? Will it start to get old real quick? Luckily this was not one of those times, Mark Newnham played a very convincing 15-year-old and a strangely convincing geek, he showed real emotion when he thought everyone hated Bananaman and it got you feeling sorry for him.
Bananaman himself was completely different to Wimp and Matthew Mckenna brought the cartoon hero to life, he was tall and handsome and worked well to bring comedy to those one-liners. Seeing this show with my 9 year old nephew really got me to see it from the shows intended audiences side and although he may not have gotten all of the jokes in the show he did say; "It’s the way he said them made them funny". Kids aren’t going to get everything, we know this, but if you can make something sound funny for them and have the adults laugh, you’ve done a good job
Now every hero needs a sidekick right? Bananaman did, although most sidekicks are not necessarily talking birds, or Crows, in this case. That’s right, Bananaman’s sidekick is a talking crow and it’s not until Eric is hit with lightning that makes him able to turn into the superhero is he able to talk to him. I love that they’ve used a puppet for this with Jodie Jacobs as the puppeteer. I thought she brought the Crow to the front of the show and she became my main focus... even if she wasn't really meant to be! This is the same when it came to Jacobs singing, a wonderful voice and she hit every note perfectly, but I feel toning it down just a little would have taken the focus off of herself and her character and allowed the audience to focus more on what was happening on stage around her.
Other main characters included Wimps love interest, Fiona Mullins, played by Emma Ralston who played the non-damsel in distress perfectly, Chief of Police: Chief O’Reilly played by TJ Lloyd, Lizzii Hills who plays Mrs Wimp & Brian Gilligan who played the Mad Magician. All of whom worked well together to make you feel like the Acacia Road was a real community of people who will always look out for each other no matter what.
I would recommend this show for children 8+ and adults alike, especially those adults who remember the cartoon, the music and lyrics of this show which fit in perfectly with the comic book feel whilst the fight scenes are a perfect ode to the old style comic books.
Bananaman runs at the Southwark Playhouse until January 20th 2018
photo credit: Pamela Raith
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